Pixel 9a overview: Google’s cut-price Android winner | Pixel

[ad_1] Google’s newest cut-price Pixel gives one of the best bang in your buck in Android telephones and is arguably higher in lots of areas than some fashions costing twice the value.

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The Pixel 9a begins on the similar £499 (€549/$499/A$849) as final yr’s equally good worth mannequin. That makes it £300 or so lower than Google’s common Pixel 9 and locations it up in opposition to mid-rangers similar to Nothing’s Cellphone 3a Professional and Samsung’s Galaxy A56.

Google has caught with its tried and examined A-series formulation, packing the 9a with top-level specs, chips and cameras, reducing a number of corners to convey the value down. The result's a particularly compelling bundle for the cash.

The 9a seems identical to the common Pixel 9 from the entrance, with an optical fingerprint reader beneath the display screen and facial recognition for unlocking the cellphone and apps. {Photograph}: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian The 6.3in OLED display screen is crisp, clean and vibrant, wanting higher than many rivals costing much more. It has barely thicker bezels across the edge than the Pixel 9, however retains the premium-feeling aluminium band across the outdoors. The again is high-quality plastic fairly than glass, however it’s troublesome to inform until you realize. The 9a has full IP68 water resistance, too, matching one of the best within the enterprise.

The large change is that the standout digicam bar on the again is gone. As an alternative, the dual cameras sit nearly flush poking by means of a small black oval. It means the cellphone sits flat on a desk and is just a little sleeker, however it has additionally misplaced a few of its allure wanting much more generic than the remainder of Google’s cellphone designs.

Specs Display: 6.3in 120Hz FHD+ OLED (422ppi)

Processor: Google Tensor G4

RAM: 8GB

Storage: 128 or 256GB

Working system: Android 15

Digicam: 48MP + 13MP ultrawide, 13MP selfie

Connectivity: 5G, Sim/eSim, wifi 6E, NFC, Bluetooth 5.3 and GNSS

Water resistance: IP68 (1m for half-hour)

Dimensions: 157.7 x 73.3 x 8.9mm

Weight: 185.9g

Tensor G4 and most of Google’s AI It takes just below 90 minutes to completely cost the 9a, hitting 85% in an hour utilizing a 23W or better USB-C charger (not included). The cellphone additionally has 7.5W wi-fi charging. {Photograph}: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian Inside, the 9a has the identical top-tier Google Tensor G4 chip as the remainder of the Pixel 9 line however with solely 8GB of RAM fairly than 12GB on the dearer fashions. The chip is quick and efficiency is snappy. It received’t win any uncooked efficiency awards however is markedly quicker than most mid-range chips and performed video games simply high quality.

The battery additionally lasts a very long time: as much as 57 hours between costs with normal mild use, together with actively utilizing the display screen for 9 hours and spending 5 hours on 5G. That's the longest of all of the Google Pixels and means it ought to see out two days, rivalling a few of the longest-lasting handsets available on the market.

You possible received’t discover the smaller quantity of RAM in contrast with the Pixel 9 in day by day use, however it limits a few of the potential for operating Google’s AI methods regionally on the cellphone. The 9a has to make do with a smaller model of Google’s Gemini AI instruments that may solely course of textual content on-device, precluding a few of the fancy audio or image-based instruments similar to the favored Pixel Screenshots and Name Notes apps from the Pixel 9.

Gemini has changed Google Assistant because the AI assistant on the Pixel telephones, which works simply as effectively on the 9a as different fashions. {Photograph}: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian All of the Gemini options that use the net to course of issues, similar to Gemini Dwell, work nice. As do the varied picture modifying and picture technology instruments. The 9a may also produce summaries of voice recordings, however solely these beneath about quarter-hour as there's a most variety of phrases it could course of in a single go.

The remainder of the Android 15 expertise matches the opposite Pixel telephones, which makes it among the finest within the enterprise. Even higher at this value is Google’s seven years of software program help for its Pixels, which implies you'll be able to safely use the 9a for much longer than most within the mid-range market.

Digicam The Pixel digicam app gives a lot of the instruments you’ll want and makes it straightforward to shoot nice pictures with little or no effort. {Photograph}: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian Google’s Pixels have a few of the perfect cameras, which incorporates the 9a. It has a brand new major 48-megapixel digicam twinned with a 13MP ultrawide, which matches that from final yr’s mannequin.

The principle digicam is able to taking pictures higher pictures than many full-price flagship telephones, and is just a smidgen behind the common Pixel 9 in low-light eventualities, taking longer to get the shot. Photographs throughout a spread of lighting situations are filled with element and effectively balanced, whereas the ultrawide continues to be one of many higher choices out there. The principle digicam gives a strong 2x zoom that may stretch as much as 8x with extra apparent digital artefacts.

New for the 9a is a macrophotography mode that makes use of the primary digicam and might produce some nice pictures, although typically it struggles to focus and is just sharp within the centre of the picture. The selfie digicam is strong on the entrance, whereas video seize is equally good.

The 9a has well-liked Greatest Take and Add Me AI options from the primary Pixel 9, in addition to numerous AI modifying instruments in Google Photographs together with Magic Editor, unblur and audio magic eraser.

Sustainability The again of the cellphone is constituted of recycled plastic with a clean mat end. {Photograph}: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian Google says the battery ought to final about 1,000 full cost cycles with a minimum of 80% of its unique capability. The cellphone is repairable by Google and third-party outlets with real substitute components out there direct from iFixit.

The Pixel 9a is made with recycled aluminium, glass, plastic and tin, accounting for a minimum of 23% of the cellphone by weight. The corporate publishes an environmental impression report for the cellphone and can recycle outdated gadgets freed from cost.

Worth The Google Pixel 9a prices £499 (€549/$499/A$849).

For comparability, the Pixel 9 prices £799, the Samsung Galaxy A56 prices £499, the Nothing Cellphone 3a Professional prices £449 and the Apple iPhone 16e prices £599.

Verdict The Pixel 9a exhibits Google is aware of the right way to make a cut-price flagship cellphone at a mid-range value higher than every other.

The mixture of top-tier chip, lengthy battery life, nice display screen and a class-leading digicam beats telephones costing much more. Google’s high quality software program and lengthy seven years of help solely sweeten the deal.

A couple of corners have been lower to convey the value down, however they aren’t noticeable in day-to-day utilization. Lacking issues similar to an absence of wifi 7, satellite tv for pc messaging or spatial audio, or using a plastic again can all be forgiven at this value.

Whereas dearer Pixel telephones provide a number of extra bells and whistles, it’s exhausting to miss the Pixel 9a. It's the finest mid-range cellphone by a large margin and is the handset to purchase for anybody in search of a top quality expertise that goes the gap for much less.

Execs: seven years of software program updates, class-leading digicam, nice display screen, top-tier chip, very lengthy battery life, recycled supplies, good AI options, undercuts high-end telephones on value.

Cons: design fairly generic, no optical zoom for digicam, uncooked efficiency wanting finest, plastic again, no built-in spatial audio, no wifi 7 or satellite tv for pc messaging, older Gorilla Glass 3.